United Kingdom

The Hundred-Foot Journey

Synopsis

Hassan Kadam is a culinary ingénue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. When Hassan and his family, led by Papa, move to a quaint village in the South of France with the grand plan of opening an Indian restaurant in the picturesque countryside, they are undeterred by the fact that only 100 feet opposite stands a Michelin...

Production Details

Synopsis

Hassan Kadam is a culinary ingénue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. When Hassan and his family, led by Papa, move to a quaint village in the South of France with the grand plan of opening an Indian restaurant in the picturesque countryside, they are undeterred by the fact that only 100 feet opposite stands a Michelin starred classical French eatery. However upon encountering the icy proprietress, Madame Mallory, the Kadam family realise they may have bitten off more than they can chew. Outraged by the new arrivals, Madame Mallory is determined to have their business shut down. As cultures clash and food flies, an all-out war escalates between the two establishments -- until, that is, Hassan's passion and talent for French cuisine begin to enchant Madame Mallory and even she can't deny this young chef could have what it takes to garner even more acclaim for her beloved restaurant. This, along with his new-found friendship with her beautiful sous chef Marguerite, starts to weave a magic between the two cultures and, despite their different tastes, they discover an unlikely recipe for success that surprises them all.

The Hundred-Foot Journey

It's a given that you don't go into a film like The Hundred-Foot Journey hungry, but you should also steer clear if you're the least bit sleepy - you'll never make it. Despite a title that suggests the ambiance of adventure, the movie has no intention of rousing its viewers beyond a fugue state of pleasantry. What we get instead of a journey is a slice of life: a soft-spoken celebration of family, friendship, romance, culture, and cooking. In essence, a tribute to that old maxim about stopping to smell the roses (or pick edible mushrooms).

But the film's quaint, merry charm doubles as its chief problem: things are almost too easy. We step into the going-more-or-less-okay lives of a family of Indian cooks as they set up shop in small town France, wrinkle our brows as matters dip to levels of ain't-that-a-pickle when they cross paths with a hardnosed-but-really-not-all-that-bad-whatsoever French restaurateur, and then sigh merrily as things seem to turn out just splendidly for all parties involved.

The parties in question, too, are a broadly painted lot: we never really get to know hero Hassan (Manish Dayal), a talented cook torn between his roots and aspirations… or his work and his love life… or something. As such, the task to engage with his struggles - burnt hands, a marred relationship, and a job that ain't all it's cracked up to be - becomes a futile one. And the effort is not made much easier by the film's insistence on keeping things as light as can be. Hell, even the fire that breaks out in this film doesn't get too out of hand.

Still, although we might be dealing with simple characters, we can't really bemoan our time spent with them as anything other than pleasant. Helen Mirren, as should be no surprise to anyone, is a treat in her colder scenes - like when she's condescending to her new neighbors or doling out judgmental grimaces from behind her omniscient drapery - and her warmer ones. Om Puri, playing Hassan's plucky father, is a riotous purveyor of smart aleck irreverence. There's a half dozen other characters who kind of get brushed to the side, but it's hard to mind when The Hundred-Foot Journey's greatest gems are the passive-aggressive bickering matches between Madame Mallory (Mirren) and "Papa" (Puri).

MovieTickets.com is a worldwide leader in advance film ticketing and a top destination for news, celebrity interviews, film reviews and trailers. You can also access cinema information, check film showtimes, view video clips, and much more.